Troy Parks enjoyed fishing and hunting with his sons, leading a pack of Cub Scouts and youth groups at his church, and encouraging everyone he knows to get active in the outdoors. Now, after falling out of a deer stand while hunting in the woods near his home, Parks has been confined to a wheelchair, a Daily Herald article reported.
Parks’ wife Angie and her two sons Dalton and Levi found Parks with a broken neck only a day after last year’s thanksgiving. Parks was hospitalized with his C5 and C6 vertebrae broken. After being treated for pneumonia at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia, Parks began an intensive program of physical therapy six out of seven days a week. In the beginning, he could only work the muscles in his neck and face. By February 2010, Parks can almost breathe independently and he has achieved some movement in his shoulders, arms, and back, the article reported.
His wife told reporters, ‘His faith has never wavered, and he is so very determined to get stronger and recover.’ Since Parks has been confined to a wheelchair, his family bought a wheelchair accessible van with a lift, and neighbors and friends helped remodel the Parks’ home to allow Parks to move more freely in his chair.
Although the family is covered by health insurance, the day-to-day bills continue to pile up. Friends and supporters have contributed money to help defray the costs, and the family hopes to generate funds to hire caregivers so Angie can return to work full time. Parks’ coworkers have been donating their sick time to him and have donated items for sale at a benefit auction, the article reported.
An auction and dinner benefit was held on Saturday March 5 at the Woodrow Community Center and Fire Department in Maury County, Tennessee. On April 24, 2010, a bass fishing tournament will be held on Kentucy Lake in Camden, Tennessee to benefit the Parks family. The entry fee of $120 per boat will likely generate a good deal of funds to help Parks continue on his path to recovery.
References:
Ballard, Samantha. (March 1, 2010) ‘Accident confines outdoorsman to wheelchair.’ Retrieved on March 3, 2010 from the c-dh.net Web site: http://www.c-dh.net/articles/2010/03/01/top_stories/01accident.txt